Windows Live SkyDrive launches, but needs a touch of paint

Microsoft has taken the "beta" tag off of Windows Live SkyDrive, which offers …

Microsoft officially knocked the "Beta" tag off Windows Live SkyDrive yesterday. That, in and of itself, is oddly worthy of note—it's currently trendy to keep a "Beta" tag stuck on forever (I'm looking at YOU, Gmail)—but the service has matured quite a bit since we covered it last October. International access is now firmly in place; Microsoft offers SkyDrive in 38 countries and plans to add locations in the future as more and more nations move away from the "goat+field+shack" lifestyle.

Microsoft has steadily increased the amount of storage available to each user, and what began as 500MB of "cloud" storage has ballooned to 5GB. Given the anemic upload speeds most of the US is stuck with, SkyDrive's roomy storage pool should keep most everyone happy. If you do happen to need more than 5GB of online storage, you're probably willing to pay for it.

Accessing SkyDrive simply requires the end-user to log on via their Hotmail address, Passport login, or Windows Live ID. Once logged in, the user is presented with an interface that seems to—dare I say it—just work. The initial interface is pictured below:

If you choose to share a folder among a specific group of friends, SkyDrive presents a list of MSN Messenger contacts to choose from. Alternatively, users can enter the e-mail address of the specific person they wish to allow to access the folder. I chose to share a folder with my own Gmail address, and that account received the invitation to view my SkyDrive photos within seconds. At this point MSN prompted me to login—you don't get to see the folder's contents if you don't have a Windows Live ID—but the entire process was quick and easy.

After spending some time with the service I'd say that Microsoft nailed the important points, but there are a few features SkyDrive could use. There's no progress bar when uploading a file, and the amount of space you've used on your SkyDrive (helpfully displayed to the side) doesn't update until the upload has actually completed. There's also no option to throttle upload speeds; SkyDrive will cheerfully eat all available upload bandwidth until the Internet is limping along like a dial-up connection. Microsoft has foreseen that staring at a browser instance while waiting for a file to upload could become boring, and has attempted to alleviate the problem by offering a game. Sorta. If you squint.

The "game," at this point, involves bouncing a ball by clicking in it. The ball doesn't do anything, hitting the top of the box (or the sides) doesn't do anything, and you can carry the ball around with the cursor by clicking and holding it. I'd never ding Microsoft for not allowing me to play a game while waiting for a file to upload, but if the company actually plans to make this a feature, the game needs to be good. Personally, I'd be happy with a Tetris clone, Hangman, or a complete version of Microsoft Flight Simulator X rendered via Flash.

SkyDrive has come a long way since its unveiling back in August, and I'd definitely recommend checking it out if you've got a need for some cloud storage capability. I'm personally hoping to see an upload progress bar and a throttle button, but the service is well worth using even without these two features.